Rebirth is a professional development training program for artist-educators and arts administrators. It was geared towards those working in the community arts sector, and going through a period of transition and transformation in their lives and/or work.
We supported our participants to ground in their sense of purpose and explore ways that this can anchor their work in community arts. We did this by engaging the Elements of Purpose – which is a framework that helps to break down the anatomy of purpose in four layers: the Personal, Systemic, Integration, and Creation.
The program curriculum was designed using the pedagogical framework of Purpose Rooted Arts Education (PRAE), which lives at the heart of all of the work that we do at Voice of Purpose. The four core pillars of PRAE include Identity & Authenticity, Equity & Inclusion, Healing & Well-Being, as well as Creativity & Technique.
This program was created for those who feel called to work with marginalized communities. The artists and administrators who gathered, embraced the principle and power of engaging personal and collective transformation as a way to empower their work in social justice, healing, and education through the arts.
The training guided participants to engage their personal journeys, as a method to connect deeper with their path of purpose. They worked to identify the communities and causes they were drawn to serve, and why. They engaged in a holistic approach of integrating their personal experiences with their callings in community arts, through techniques that were grounded in various healing modalities.
At Voice of Purpose, we believe that individuals and organizations that embody their purpose have greater capacity to impact social change. This was a core message, orientation, and energy that was highlighted in our program – which garnered great response and resonance with our participants.
Participants also gained mentorship in technical areas integral to their work in Community Arts Education, such as grant writing, curriculum development, lesson planning, partnership building, and more. In fact, many of the participants went on to create and enhance their community arts programs based on the PRAE (Purpose Rooted Arts Education) pedagogy and professional development coaching they received at this training.
We were able to not only teach but learn so much while working with tools and frameworks such as student-centered learning, culturally responsive pedagogy, and the growth mindset.
This is a proud moment in Voice of Purpose’s history, and we’re so glad to share our reflections.
[Video credit: Potential Films Inc.]
